Cleaning device



April 969 E. G. GIBSON, SR 3,435,479

CLEANING DEVICE Filed NOV. 21, 1967 United States Patent 3,435,479 CLEANING DEVICE Edwin G. Gibson, Sr., Grapevine, Tex., assignor to (general Electric Company, a corporation of New ork Filed Nov. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 684,680 Int. Cl. F28g 3/04; 130% 1/04; A46b 13/02 US. Cl. 104.04 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cleaning device including first and second supporting members maintained in a fixed spaced relationship along a common axis. A plurality of cleaning members are each connected to a lever arm. A shaft rigidly secured to each lever arm extends through a corresponding aperture provided in the first supporting member. The second supporting member is provided with an opening so that an article to be cleaned may be placed in the region surrounded by the cleaning members. A single gear is movably connected to the first supporting member, and pinion gears are connected to the portion of each shaft extending through the first supporting member and are of a diameter large enough to engage the single gear. A movement of one shaft and pinion gear and the associated cleaning member Will result in an identical and simultaneous adjustment of each of the other cleaning members. A wing nut is connected to each pinion gear for preventing further movement once an adjustment has been made, and the first supporting member is. provided with an extension which may be connected to motive power means so that the entire device may be rotated about an article to be cleaned.

This invention relates to cleaning devices, and more particularly, to cleaning devices of the type including a plurality of cleaning members which surround a region into which an article to be cleaned may be positioned.

When a part or component of a larger unit or assembly must be cleaned, it possibly may be disassembled therefrom and transported to the cleaning apparatus. If only an exposed portion of the part or component need be cleaned, it would be advantageous to clean it without disassembly. This would be especially desirable in the case of extremely heavy and cumbersome parts. One example of such a component or part is a bolt or stud held within a flange, the threads of which bolt are to be cleaned. High pressure and temperature steam turbine gas generators include such assembled bolts and the normally highly stressed threads must be thoroughly cleaned of scale and hard, tenacious deposits during maintenance to insure uniform thread stresses. These machines include a large number of bolts or studs in close proximity and of a size large enough to make their removal for cleaning prohibitive. Hand brushing of the threads is extremely laborious and difficult due to the small spacing between bolts.

A machine adapted to clean such articles while they are in an assembled state should be readily adaptable to various sized articles and should operate in a manner not hindered by the close proximity of such articles. More particularly, a desirable design of such a machine would include a plurality of cleaning members oriented so that an article to be cleaned could be positioned in the space surrounded by the members and would also include means for simultaneously adjusting the position of the members so that they could be brought in contact with the article in a manner not hindered by the closeness of other articles,

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a device for cleaning articles while they remain in an assembled or immovable state and in close proximity to a number of other articles or fixtures.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a cleaning device of the type adapted to be placed on or over an article to be cleaned in which device the positions of each of a plurality of cleaning members may be simultaneously adjusted in a manner not hindered by the nearness of other articles or fixtures.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, I provide a cleaning device including a supporting member to which are movably connected a plurality of cleaning members arranged to surround an article to be cleaned. An arrangement of motion transmitting means is provided whereby the position of the cleaning members may be simultaneously adjusted. The device is adapted to be rotated about the article to be cleaned.

This invention is recited in the appended claims. A more thorough understanding of the above and further objects and advantages of this invention can be obtained by referring to the following description taken in con junction with the accompanying drawing wherein the single figure is a perspective view partly in section of a device constructed in accordance with this invention.

The drawing shows a cleaning device 1 constructed in accordance with this invention and located in proximity to the end of a bolt or stud 2 having threads 3 over which the device may be placed and put into operation. The device includes a first supporting member 4, in the form of a disk and may also include a second supporting member 5, in the form of an annulus. The first and second supporting members are held in a fixed spaced relationship along a common axis by means of spacer studs 6-8.

The device includes a plurality of cleaning members and in this particular illustration, three such members 10, 11 and 12, are spaced at intervals and depend from the periphery of the first supporting member 4. Each of the cleaning members includes a stud member 13 on which a plurality of brush members 14 are positioned and separated by spacer members 15. When the device is used to clean bolt threads the brush members would advantageously comprise wire brushes; for other applications different brush materials may be used.

Each of the cleaning members is provided with mounting means 16 including a first portion or lever arm 17 provided with an aperture at one end so that it may be connected to an end of the stud member 13. Each of the mounting means also includes a second portion or shaft 18 which extends upwardly through a corresponding aperture provided in the first supporting member 4. Although the lever arm 17 and shaft 18 are shown as comprising an integral member, it should be understood that both could be separate components rigidly secured together.

In order to simultaneously adjust the position of the cleaning members so that the device may be used to clean various sized articles, a first motion transmitting means or idler gear 19 is movably connected to the first supporting member 4- by means of a nut 20 placed on an extension 21 of the first supporting means. The shaft 18 which extends through the first supporting member 4 comprises a second motion transmitting means, and to each shaft 18 a third motion transmitting means or pinion gear 22 is secured and isv of sufiicient diameter to engage the idler gear 19. A wing nut 23 is included on each pinion gear 22 and may be tightened to prevent movement of the shaft 18 and pinion gear 22.

Each of the cleaning members 10, 11, 12 may be movably connected to the second supporting member 5 by means of a linkage member 24, bolt 25 and nut 26. This additional mount is not essential to the practice of this invention, however, because in some applications suflicient rigidity of the cleaning members may be provided merely by the connection to first supporting member 4. For those applications, moreover, second supporting member 5 could also be omitted. This annular second supporting member 5 is provided with a lower bumper assembly comprising pad members 27, 28 to protect surfaces with which the device may inadvertently be placed in contact.

In operation, the device is placed in proximity to the portion of the article to be cleaned such as the threaded portion of a bolt, as shown in the figure, and then lowered over or placed on that portion so that it occupies the internal region surrounded by the plurality of cleaning members. In accordance with this invention, one of the second motion transmitting means or shafts 18 is rotated so as to turn the corresponding third motion transmitting means or pinion gears 22 in the appropriate direction to bring its associated cleaning member into contact with the article. Because of the motion transmitting arrangement, the movement of the one cleaning member results in a simultaneous movement of the other cleaning members. In the particular illustration, a rotation of one of the shafts 18 rotates the pinion gear 22 attached thereto which, because of its engagement with the idler gear 19, imparts a corresponding rotation to each of the other pinion gears and causes a similar movement of each of the lever arms and its associateed cleaning member. By virtue of this arrangement, an adjustment of the device can be easily made from one end thereof and not be hindered by the close spacing of articles to be cleaned. While a gearing arrangement is shown as an illustration, this is not intended to limit the scope of this invention which may be practiced by other types of motion transmitting means such as a pinion and rack arrangement or a cam and follower arrangement. The only requirement is that the motion transmitting arrangement be such that a movement imparted to one of the motion transmitting means associated with one cleaning member results in an identical movement of each of the other motion transmitting means associated with each of the other cleaning members because of the engagement of each of those motion transmitting means with another, single, motion transmitting means. Once an adjustment has been made, wing nuts 23 may be tightened to prevent pinion gears 22 from further movement. With the device placed over the article and the cleaning members in close contact there- 'with, a motive power means such as an electric hand drill is connected to the extension 21 of the first supporting means 4 to rotate the device about the article to be cleaned.

While the invention has been described with specificity, it is the aim of the appended claims to cover all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the foregoing disclosure.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cleaning device comprising:

a supporting member;

a plurality of cleaning members;

a plurality of mounting means, each of said mounting means being connected to each of said cleaning members;

said mounting means being movably connected to said supporting member;

said cleaning members depending from said supporting member and spaced from each other to surround an article to be cleaned;

means for simultaneously adjusting the position of said cleaning members to allow said members to contact the article to be cleaned;

means for maintaining the position of said cleaning members after an adjustment has been made; and

said supporting member having means for connection to motive power means for rotating said device around the article to be cleaned.

2. The device recited in claim 1 wherein each of said mounting means comprises:

a first portion adapted to be attached to one end of said cleaning member;

a second portion movably connected to said first supporting member and adapted to transmit an externally applied movement to said cleaning member.

3. The device recited in claim 2 wherein said first portion comprises a lever arm and said second portion comprises a shaft extending from said first portion through an aperture provided in said first supporting member.

4. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said means for simultaneously adjusting the position of said cleaning members comprises:

first motion transmitting means movably connected to said first supporting means;

second motion transmitting means connected to said cleaning members; and

a plurality of third motion transmitting means, each of said third motion transmitting means rigidly connected to each of said second motion transmitting means and engaging said first motion transmitting means whereby a movement imparted to any one of said third motion transmitting means results in a corresponding movement of each of the other of said second motion transmitting means.

5. The device recited in claim 4 wherein said first motion transmitting means comprises an idler gear.

6. The device recited in claim 4 wherein said second motion transmitting means comprises a shaft.

7. The device recited in claim 4 wherein said third motion transmitting means comprises a pinion gear.

8. The device recited in claim 4 further comprising position maintaining means connected to each of said third motion transmitting means for preventing the movement of said third motion transmitting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,803,701 5/1931 Grover 15-647 2,305,079 12/ 1942 Heldenbrand 15 104.04 3,116,811 1/1964 Stevenson 1588 EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 1523; 51347 

